ATTENTION: This review contains spoilers from the first two books, Daughter of Smoke & Bone and Days of Blood & Starlight.

Synopsis

By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her, if there can even be a future for the chimaera in war-ravaged Eretz.

Common enemy, common cause.

When Jael’s brutal seraph army trespasses into the human world, the unthinkable becomes essential, and Karou and Akiva must ally their enemy armies against the threat. It is a twisted version of their long-ago dream, and they begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people.

And, perhaps, for themselves. Toward a new way of living, and maybe even love.

But there are bigger threats than Jael in the offing. A vicious queen is hunting Akiva, and, in the skies of Eretz … something is happening. Massive stains are spreading like bruises from horizon to horizon; the great winged stormhunters are gathering as if summoned, ceaselessly circling, and a deep sense of wrong pervades the world.

What power can bruise the sky?

From the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond, humans, chimaera and seraphim will fight, strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy.

At the very barriers of space and time, what do gods and monsters dream of? And does anything else matter?

(This synopsis is from Goodreads.)

Thoughts

I didn’t enjoy the second book in this trilogy that much, but this book made up for it.

There were changes of perspective througout the story, but it was easy to identify who was talking at the time.

I felt like some scenes were unnecessarily long while others were too short. Sometimes the story would focus on this one minuscule thing for the next couple pages when it probably could be summed up in one.

Other than that, though, the story was great.

There is a lot of heartbreak in the story, especially between Akiva and Karou. It broke my heart that life was throwing so many obstacles at them and they couldn’t be together for most of the time, even if they loved each other so much.

Even though the book is pretty long (600+ pages!), if only covers the course of give or take three to four days. It starts with the Arrival (when the angels come to Earth). Earth starts panicking, obviously, and things get out of hand.

Morgan Toth, despite what’s going on in the world, is having fun trying to make Eliza’s life as bad as he can possible can. Seriously, dude, take a chill pill.

And with all that happening, Karou is trying to find a way to save everyone and everything. With the help of Akiva, she tries to stop Jael.

Except so many forces are working against her.

Thankfully, she had her two friends supporting her along the long and hard journey. Even though they were just humans, Mik and Zuzana did a lot to help.

At the end of the story, my heart was crying out for Karou and Akiva. Their situation was so freaking helpless that I thought that they wouldn’t have a happy ending. Laini Taylor sure knows how to tug my heartstrings.

Characters

Karou

She has a lot on her shoulders. So much happens to her that sometimes she believes she doesn’t deserve happiness, which isn’t true. She’s helplessly in love with Akiva, and she sacrifices a lot to help those she cares about. Her situation seems hopeless, and I felt sorry for her.

Akiva

Same as Karou, Akriva sacrifices a lot to save those he loves. Their relationship is so hopeless that there were times where I actually thought they weren’t going to end up together.

Liraz

Underneath that hard exterior, there’s something kind and caring inside Liraz. SHe may not like feelings in the beginnings, but she begins to change as she watches Akiva, Karou, and Ziri.

Zuzana Novakova

She’s that one thing that kept Karou tethered to the ground. She was Karou’s steady rock in the times of chaos. She was always there when Karou needed her most, and crossed worlds (literally) to be with her.

Mikolas “Mik” Vavra

He was Zuzana’s rock during the war. His love for Zuzana is so bright, and it’s so freaking cute to see what he does for her to gain her favor.

Esther Van de Vloet

There’s a reason they call her Karou’s fake grandmother. She had what was coming to her.

Ziri (as Thiago)

A gentle soul stuck in a brutal body. Ziri does what he can to impersonate the White Wolf, but in the inside, he feels out of place. He might be uncomfortable, but he does it for Karou. He does it for his people. He does it for the world.

Jael

Two word: arrogant and gross. Stop spitting everywhere, dude!

Razgut

Um, no.

Eliza Jones

Running away from a past that she wants to forget, Eliza does her best to hide her true identity, even though she doesn’t quite know what she is. Despite what fate keeps throwing at her, she never gives up. And I admire that.

Gabriel Edinger

I couldn’t tell throughout the story if Gabriel had feelings for Eliza or not. Maybe they were just friends. Maybe they were just roommates. Who knows? Whatever their relationship was, Gabriel was one of the only people who was super sweet to Eliza and didn’t judge her for her nightmares.

Morgan Toth

He’s just a crappy person. He found pleasure in ruining other people, especially Eliza. However, he too got what was coming for him in the end.

Conclusion

It was much better than the second book (thank goodness for that). I give this book 4.5 / 5 BBC Sherlock heads.